Summary

Five years after the Gulf War, academics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are still locked in a struggle over the Patriot's record in shooting down Iraqi Scud missiles. Ted Postol, a professor who specializes in arms control and national security, concluded that the Patriot was a near-total failure. But the debate at MIT now centers on Postol's claims that Patriot's manufacturer, Raytheon Corp., improperly stated that MIT engineering Professor Shaoul Ezekiel had debunked Postol's analyses. Ezekiel had never challenged Postol's analyses directly. Postol has accused Ezekiel of unethical conduct by not publicly refuting Raytheon's claim, but two MIT investigations have cleared Ezekiel of misconduct.